Alexander Fest, long-serving publisher at Germany’s Rowohlt until stepping down in 2014 to work as editor at large, is leaving the company at the end of January 2022 after more than 20 years, to join DTV as consulting publisher in spring 2022. Buchmarket observes that, “With this, the traditional company is losing a piece of its DNA.” CEO of Holtzbrinck Germany Alexander Lorbeer says in the announcement, “I regret and respect Alexander Fest’s personal decision. Even if he will be with the publisher until the beginning of next year, I would like to express our special thanks to him today for his […]
Archives for August 2021
Strong Fourth Quarter Gives Harper Record Sales and Earnings for Year
News Corp. reported fiscal fourth quarter and full year sales after the close of the market on Thursday, with record profits companywide, as well as at Harper Collins. For the fiscal fourth quarter, Harper’s sales of $493 million were up significantly from $407 million a year ago (but also from $419 million two years ago). EBITDA was up just $1 million, to $48 million, after a surprisingly profitable quarter a year ago even on lower sales. Earnings were “partially offset by higher costs related to the acquisition of HMH, increased sales volume and the mix of titles, as well as […]
People 8/6
Alyssa Neumann has joined Libro.fm as product operations manager. She was formerly editor, journals at Cambridge University Press.
Booker Longlisting Lifts South African Novel That Had 500-Copy First Printing
The Guardian reports that Karen Jennings’ Booker Prize–longlisted novel AN ISLAND had a first printing of 500 copies, now enjoying more demand. The un-agented South African author says, “It was incredibly difficult to find a publisher… I finished the novel in 2017. And no one was interested.” Once it was eventually acquired by indie press Holland House, they couldn’t get any blurbs or reviews. “It’s not that I personally was expecting fame or fortune or anything, but I felt that I had disappointed them,” she said. “So it’s quite an extraordinary moment now to suddenly have all of this attention […]
HBG Postpones Office Reopening; For Now Will Require Vaccinations and Masks
With uncertainty surrounding the Delta variant, Hachette Book Group ceo Michael Pietsch told staff that, “We have decided to postpone the reopening of our offices, which had been set for September. We have not set a new reopening schedule at this time. When we decide it is safe to proceed with reopening, we will provide a minimum of four weeks’ notice before we proceed.” Pietsch notes they have also experienced “ongoing changes to regulations in some of the cities and states where HBG has offices.” The offices “remain open for people who want or need to use them, within our […]
Obituary: Kitchen Arts & Letters Founder Nach Waxman Dies Suddenly
The renowned Upper East Side bookstore Kitchen Arts & Letters announced that founder and co-owner Nach Waxman “died suddenly” on Wednesday, August 4. They write: “He built the store into a worldwide haven for people who were serious about food and drink books. He encouraged the best authors, respected the passion and curiosity of cooks and readers at all levels, and never lost a sense of pleasure and wonder at discovering the myriad ways people wrote about cooking, eating, and drinking. All of us who worked with him will miss him deeply. As we carry on the tradition he created, […]